Flywheel

Last night I watched a movie called "Flywheel", from the creators of the movie "Facing the Giants". The movie focused on the life of a used car salesman, who was less than honest in his approach to selling cars to his customers. After the man came to the realization that his dishonesty was leading to a lack of respect from his wife and son, strife with his friends and co-workers, and overall financial ruin, he decided to make some fundamentle changes in his life. He decided to dedicate his life to JESUS and in service to the LORD. He began to spend time in prayer and scripture. He started, the next day, to be totally honest in his selling practices. He also started to repair the relationships with his friends and especially with his family. Because of his decision, his co-workers quit and he lost profits (at first), but he was determined to make things right between him and God. I don't want to ruin the ending, but his decisions made lasting impacts on his life, his family, and his business.

This movie, along with "Facing the Giants", exemplifies the major points of my Mission Statement, I posted a few days ago. Although the movie shows the "ultimate good" that can happen when you make a decision like this, I am prepared for the worst that can happen as well. Not everyone who dedicates their life to the LORD, gets all they ask for, as in the movies. Sometimes they are left with some sort of pain when their prayers are not answers the way they want. It is important to realize though that, the LORD is in control, and we are not. If GOD answers our prayers with a "NO!", then we must understand that GOD knows what is best for us, NOT US.

When JOB was suffering at the hands of Satan, he could not understand what was happening to him. As his friends continued to berate him and telling him to confess to sins he did not commit, Job answered them saying, "The fear (respect and reverance) of the LORD -- that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding." {Job 28:28} Job like the car salesman in the movie, understood that it was a wise thing to do to show respect and reverance (fear) to the LORD. They proved they understood the will of the LORD, by shunning evil in their lives. Both were blessed by God in the end for their showing and practicing of their faith. Even if we do not get instant blessings as the car salesman in "Flywheel", Christians know we will get the ultimate reward when JESUS returns to claim his own, Eternal Life with GOD.

How Deep is Your Love for the LORD?

The past few mornings, during my morning Bible study, I have been reading the book of Job. In this book Satan has taken everything Job has, wealth, family, and health, away from him in an attempt to prove to the LORD that Job's faith wasn't real. Satan accused God of "putting a hedge" around Job, protecting him from disaster and ruin. In doing this Satan also attacked Job's faith, by saying the only the reason Job was "blameless and upright" was because God had blessed him with wealth, health, and a large family. Satan believed that if God would allow him to take all that away from Job, then Job's faith would crumble. How wrong Satan was!

Satan took away all of Job's flocks (the source of his wealth), his children, and took his health. Despite all of the attacks of Satan, Job fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." Job's faith was a genuine faith, based on true love and respect for GOD. His faith was not based upon wealth, health or family.

Many followers of JESUS and the LORD today claim to have a strong faith. But what is their faith really based upon. Is their faith based upon the fact they have good jobs, healthy families, nice homes, good health, or plenty of money? Or, is their faith based upon a true love and respect for GOD? I have seen many Christians loose their faith when disaster strikes them. When a family member dies, or if they lose their job, they blame God and turn from the truth. I have also seen Christians who love GOD under the worst of circumstances. They cannot have children despite many years of trying, they are suffering from AIDS or cancer, they live in homeless shelters or under bridges and they still praise the LORD their GOD!

What will you do when you lose your job? When your car does not work? When your spouse runs off with another person? When your child becomes addicted to drugs? When you can't have a child? When a loved one dies? Will you curse GOD and blame him for your calamities and give up, or will you fall on your knees in worship to your GOD and praise HIS name? My prayer is that we all choose the path of Job!

My Mission Statement

Finally I have my Mission Statement Completed!

1. I will seek to continuously become a man after the heart of God.
2. I will serve my God and honor Him in all that I do. (In failure as well as success).
3. I will continuously strive to grow as a husband and a father so I can serve them in the service of my God.
4. I will endeavor to serve others in love, using my Savior Jesus as an example.
5. I will listen to the words of truth as written in the Bible, rather than the lies of Satan and the world, by attempting to spend more time in prayer, devotion and memorization of scripture.
6. Realizing that I am not in control of the majority of circumstances that affect my life, I will look to God to learn from every situation, so that I may grow stronger in faith, and better serve God, family, and others.

Now to put these into practice!

What is Your Heart's Desire?

I have decided to do a little self-evaluation and refocusing my life! Based on a recommendation of good Christian man I know, I have decided to use the Bible and a book called, "A Man After God's Own Heart" by Jim George. The book is supposed to be a guide of sorts to helping men devote our lives to to what really matters; our relationship with God our Father. After reading the first chapter, "What is Your Heart's Desire?" I was faced with a tough question; What is my heart's desire?" It is to serve my God whole heatedly with no reservations? Is to follow the will of my LORD, or to serve my own self-interest? When God found David, to serve as the new king of Israel, he said to Samuel the prophet, "I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after My own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." (Acts 13: 22) Can my God say that of me? Will I do everything God asks of me, no matter how painful, or inconvenient? This is what I plan to find out about myself. I want desperately to be a man after God's own heart. Do I have what it takes to accomplish this? I think so, now let's see if I am willing to become what I desire the most. I will keep you updated.

Come Just As You Are

Last Sunday as my family and I were preparing to attend worship services, I was "chastising" my son a little bit for wearing a t-shirt to church rather than one of his nicer looking collared shirts. He responded to me, "Doesn't the Bible say, come just as you are?" Boy, was I humbled! The words my son quoted to me are actually from a Christian song, but the Bible does state the same principle over and over again. God wants you to come to him no matter what you look like or what state of mind you are in. He sees your potential and He does not judge you based on what you look like. In 1st Samuel 16:7 when God was talking to Samuel about choosing a new king of Israel, The LORD said to Samuel, "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

God does not care if you are tall, short, fat, thin, rich, poor, or what you wear, as long as your heart is seeking HIM and desires to do HIS will. Sometimes the LORD uses your own children to convict you of your own self-righteous judgements. Are you choosing to serve the LORD with all your heart, or are you to busy judging others based on their outward appearance?